Have you noticed that there isn't a single human being with fully functional ears who dislikes Adele's "Rolling in the Deep"?
Honestly, it's strange. Her sophomore album, 21, has been stuck near the top of the charts for months. It's sold seven million copies. And despite the fact that we've heard "Deep" about a billion times, there's still no shaking the primal hold of this lady's vocal voodoo.
Even bearded pop guru Rick Rubin and punk queen Patti Smith can't help gushing over Adele.
Admittedly, Rubin is the co-chairman of Adele's record label, Columbia, and the producer of five tracks off 21. So he's got a vested interest in her success. But the sage old dude has never really played the PR game. And he doesn't often dole out unrestrained praise.
"She is an incredible singer. She bares her soul in her songwriting, and it's the real thing," Rubin said in an interview with Billboard last month. "What she is doing, it's a very pure expression of herself and it resonates with people. There is no trickery involved. It's a really honest album."
Patti Smith, meanwhile, doesn't even listen to pop music. (Apparently, she's all about opera these days.) But she's obsessed with Adele.
"That 'Rolling in the Deep' song, I must have listened to that a thousand times," Smith told LA Times last week. "She's got a very touching yet mature delivery. I love her voice, and that is just a killer song. I'm going to get my band to cover it."
And then, like the next day, Smith covered "Deep" during a show at NYC's Castle Clinton.
Recently, after being forced to cancel nine North American tour dates because of laryngitis, Adele rescheduled all of the missed shows and added another 11 to her schedule, including a Miami gig at the American Airlines Arena's Waterfront Theatre on October 14. Tickets go on sale today.
So snag some passes, memorize the lyrics to "Rolling in the Deep," and come join Crossfade, Rick, and Patti in the superfan section.
Adele. Friday, October 14. American Airlines Arena's Waterfront Theatre, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $32 to $82 plus fees via ticketmaster.com. Call 786-777-1000 or visit aaarena.com.
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